Do We Need Extremists?
And yet, it is my contention that these extremists fulfill a role in our society, as long as they're not in charge. They have the long-term effect of awakening us to critical issues, forcing a discussion of those issues, and compensating for activists on the opposite side.
For example, although the average environmentalist would probably express dissatisfaction with how far we've come, the fact is their efforts over especially the last few decades, balanced by the resistance of some corporations and others relatively interested in the status quo, have moved us toward a new and reasonable governmental, corporate and individual concern for and awareness of the environment.
Whether it be civil rights, gun control, abortion, capital punishment, immigration or war, the attention from both sides has driven us toward reasonable transformation and dialogue. It may not be the revolution the extremes desired, but positive societal evolution has happened and is happening.
There are times, however, when one side or the other dominates the government and it appears that the left or right is forcing us in their direction. The other side will moan and protest and sometimes predict that the end has arrived but, over the long term, everyone gets their opportunity to compensate for the other guys' perceived missteps. If you don't like the guys in charge today, wait a decade or so and there will be a whole new gang pushing their agendas. The net effect, over time, is that we, as a society and culture, may shift back and forth but generally move down the middle toward progress and enlightenment.
Even the misdirected extreme causes of history such as Nazism, the Klan, slavery, Manifest Destiny, Jihadism, and colonialism positively affected our society to some degree by heightening our commitment to avoiding the repetition of such mistakes and by raising our understanding of our weaknesses.
Related Tags: moderate, extremist, political moderate, social moderate, the rest of us
Dick Sem is a security and workplace violence consultant (http://www.SemSecurity.com) based in Wisconsin.
He has been married for 36 years and has two sons and two grandchildren. He graduated from Marquette University.
Dick grew up in a conservative, Republican family but, especially in recent decades, realized that his beliefs spanned both conservative and liberal positions, making him a moderate. He has created his blog, http://www.therestofus.net, as a forum for those of us who are political, social or religious moderates.
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